NICE, Politicians agree on dealing with violence during campaigns
UTM Governor for Lilongwe District Frackson Kanjere has expressed concern over how citizens in the country are engaging in many bad behaviors, including violence.
Kanjere was speaking during an interface meeting organized by the NICE Trust, which involved political leaders around Lilongwe.
He described the challenges facing Malawi as ‘Democracy under Siege’ because both authorities and citizens do not use it in the right way.
Kanjere explained, “Corruption, theft, and disrespect by youth continue to engulf our society. This is because of politicians’s bad behavior, which is widespread across society.”
He added, “The youth get angry and involved in violence because their political leaders do not provide them with important things in life like job creation, loans for businesses, and other development-related things.”
Since the country is preparing for the campaign period, he therefore advised the police to be non-partisan because sometimes they get one side of the story.
In her remarks, Aginess Nseema, Campaign Director for the Assembly for Democracy and Development (ADD), said that people should change their negative mindset, which is crippling the country’s democracy.
“We should intensify our civic education campaigns among the faith groups, which include churches and mosques, where we can teach on mindset change and ensure that everyone participates in development activities,” pleaded Nseema.
Commenting on violence, Loudon Kayira, Community Policing Coordinator at Lilongwe Police Station, called upon politicians not to use the youth as a violent tool to suppress opponents.
Alice Kanyangala, Malawi Electoral Commission District Elections Officer for Lilongwe, advised politicians to calm down, fairly observe, and verify information that comes out before acting because it can cause discomfort amongst people.
Meanwhile, NICE Trust Programmes Officer for Lilongwe Urban District, Hajira Ali, told politicians that democracy is a process and every Malawian should work together to succeed.
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